Ko no moto ni sumikeru ato o mitsuru kana Nachi no takane no hana o tazunete

木のもとに住みける跡を見つるかな
那智の高嶺の花を尋ねて

Roma-ji: Ko no moto ni sumikeru ato o mitsuru kana Nachi no takane no hana o tazunete
English Translation: Beneath the tree, where
once he lived, I've seen the place
he left behind him,
seeking on Nachi's high peaks
the blossoms of the cherry.
Meaning: Seeking the blossoms on the high peaks of Nachi, I have come upon the place where he once lived beneath the tree.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 852

Headnote: "When I was in seclusion at Nachi and doing retreat at the falls, there was a resident monk who said there were a first and second falls above and he was going there, so I went with him; it was just when I longed to see whether the blossoms had opened, and feeling it a good chance I made my way up; arriving at the foot of the second falls, I heard they were called the Nyoirin Falls and worshipped them, and indeed they flowed down as though leaning slightly, and seemed holy; before the site of the hermitage of Retired Emperor Kazan there was an old cherry tree, and seeing it I recalled how he had composed 'since I make my home'"
While in seclusion at Nachi in Kumano and doing retreat at the falls, the poet went with a resident monk who said he was going to the first and second falls above. It was just the season when he longed to see whether the blossoms had opened, so, taking it as a good chance, he made his way up. At the second falls he heard they were called the Nyoirin Falls and worshipped them; they flowed down as though leaning slightly and seemed holy. Before the site of the hermitage of Retired Emperor Kazan stood an old cherry tree, and seeing it he recalled the emperor's poem with 'since I make my home,' and composed this. Seeking the blossoms of Nachi's high peaks, I have seen the place where he lived beneath the tree, he says.
Kazan's poem, included in the Shikashū, is 'Ko no moto o / sumika to sureba / onozukara / hana miru hito ni / narinu beki kana,' and the poet lays it over the site where the emperor practiced at Nachi.

First line, “ko no moto ni”: beneath the cherry tree, taking up 'ko no moto' in Kazan's poem.
Second line, “sumikeru ato o”: the place where he lived, drawing on 'sumika to sureba.'
Third line, “mitsuru kana”: kana is exclamatory, I have seen it; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “Nachi no takane no”: Nachi in Kumano, a sacred place of ascetic practice.
Fifth line, “hana o tazunete”: seeking the blossoms, inverted to follow the third line, answering the longing in the headnote.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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